Three Rescued From Burning Boat Off Stinson Beach

A nearby boater called for help at 11:58 a.m. on October 30 after spotting smoke from a 32-foot motor vessel about five miles west of Stinson Beach. Someone aboard the burning boat was waving for assistance, the Coast Guard said on November 1.

The nearby boater got all three people off the vessel before it sank. Coast Guard lifeboat and helicopter crews had been sent to the scene, but arrived after the rescue. Coast Guard crew members transferred the survivors to the lifeboat.

None of the three needed medical attention. They were taken to Pier 45, where the vessel had begun its trip. The vessel’s master told the Coast Guard that water had quickly entered through an engine compartment at the stern before the boat sank. The cause of the fire and sinking is under investigation.